At the UGA New Materials Institute, we believe that a material’s useful end-of-life should be considered at the design stage and that Green Engineering principles should be part of this process.
Jenna Jambeck, who directs the Center for Circular Materials Management within the UGA New Materials Institute, has been named the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor in Environmental Engineering.
Jambeck is internationally recognized for her work to raise awareness about plastic pollution and to reduce mismanaged plastic waste from entering the world’s oceans.
Evan M. White, an assistant research scientist at the UGA New Materials Institute and director of the Institute’s Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory, recently talked to WUGA-FM about researching and developing compostable materials designed for single-use packaging. White and his colleagues are developing plastic materials and products that may be broken down and metabolized by microorganisms in a variety of environments, from managed industrial compost to soil or sea water. Their emphasis is on replacing materials and products currently used to make single-use plastics, which comprise roughly 42% of all plastics produced globally, annually.
White explains the difference in materials described as “biodegradable” compared to materials being developed at UGA which are biologically degradable. His interview aired on WUGA’s Athens News Matters on Feb. 7, 2020.
The UGA New Materials Institute will lead two projects selected for funding and research in 2020, as part of the Institute’s participation in the Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (CB2), a National Science Foundation Industry—University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC).
The projects are among nine selected by CB2’s Industry Advisory Board (IAB) for exploration in 2020. They are:
The xylan project is a continuation of one selected and launched in 2019, during the Institute’s first year as a research site for CB2. The project is led by Breeanna Urbanowicz, an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, in the Franklin College of Arts & Sciences. Urbanowicz’s work focuses on the structure and function of plant carbohydrate active enzymes; she is based at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center. Xylan exists in plants and is the third-most abundant biopolymer on Earth. Urbanowicz’s goal is to identify and catalogue properties in xylan which may be useful in creating bio-based polymers for materials and products.
The glycolic urethane project is led by Evan M. White, an assistant research scientist who directs the Institute’s Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory. Polyurethanes represent a diverse class of polymers that may be formulated into durable coatings, composites, adhesives, and foams which are found across many sectors, including packaging. This project focuses on developing faster screening assays to discover enzymatically degradable urethane chemistries which may be relevant to materials made with such chemical bonds, as well as other chemical bonds used in polyurethanes. Understanding the enzymatic deconstruction of polyurethanes may help in the development of completely compostable high-barrier, multilayer packaging.
A total of nine projects were selected by the IAB for funding in 2020. Three projects will be conducted by researchers at North Dakota State University, two at Iowa State University, and two at Washington State University. Together, the four universities comprise the research sites for CB2.
The UGA New Materials Institute’s participation as a research site for CB2 is supported by NSF Award #1841319.
The 4th International Symposium on Materials from Renewables drew scientists from throughout the U.S. and Europe to UGA, to share successes and challenges from their explorations into creating materials from renewable sources. The two-day meeting, co-hosted by the UGA Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors and New Materials Institute, featured advances in renewable materials science that may eventually benefit a broad swath of industry, from single-use plastics, to the transportation and building sectors, to biomedical and textiles, to energy.
“An increased interest, by industry and academia, in research and commercialization of renewable and compostable plastics demonstrates the need for professionals in this field to freely exchange and discuss ideas,” said Sergiy Minko, the Georgia Power Professor of Fiber and Polymer Science at the University of Georgia, who co-founded ISMR with faculty from North Dakota State University. The annual event aims to spur collaborative research and engineering efforts toward solving problems with materials currently in use.
Much of the research presented focused on utilizing renewable sources that are plentiful in a researcher’s home state or region. For example, many projects featured polymers extracted from or developed from agricultural byproducts, like rice straw, corn stover, plant-based oils or other materials—including utilizing keratin from chicken feathers.
There are numerous sources available for renewable polymers, said Minko. Utilizing byproducts from industry can add value to local resources and thus to local economies.
“This is important for Georgia, for example, with its long history of paper and textile industries and also intensive agriculture,” said Minko. “Byproducts from these industries could be transferred into valuable sources for environmentally-friendly materials.”
Plants and their byproducts offer three of the most abundant natural resources on Earth: cellulose, lignin and xylan. All three were discussed by scientists at the meeting. Cellulose has been used by industry for a long time and multiple researchers shared their explorations into new ways to utilize cellulose in the creation of materials. Xylan is another abundant polysaccharide that is present in many agricultural side and forest products, and is being researched as a potential polymer and chemicals source. Lignin, a byproduct of the paper industry and agriculture, is a naturally existing polymer that is being explored.
Presenters also discussed ongoing research to upcycle existing polymers—by creating them intentionally to have additional value following their initial life cycle, which encourages recycling—and also to improve upon existing polymers. For example, polylactic acid, or PLA, is a starch-based polymer that has been in use for about 15 years. It is completely degradable in an industrial compost setting, but not in cold ocean water. Some scientists are trying to alter PLA-based materials so that they break down in ocean water.
Graduate students, representing multiple universities, presented research posters and three winners were recognized. Scott Tull, from the Locklin Group in the New Materials Institute, took first place for “Waterborne Polyhydroxyalkanoate Colloidal Dispersions: A Sustainable Replacement for Single Use Plastic Coatings.” Jamie P. Wooding, from Georgia Institute of Technology, placed second for “Modifying Interfacial Chemistry of Cellulose-Reinforced Epoxy Composites Using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD).” And, Mastooreh Seyedi, of Clemson University, placed third for “Coloring Fabrics Using Dye-Embedded Cellulose Nanofibrils.”
The October conference was co-organized by faculty from UGA, North Dakota State University, and Institut Charles Gerhardt, in France, and held at the UGA Special Collections Libraries. Support was provided by the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences, its Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors; the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Engineering; the New Material Institute, and the Office Of Research.
The University of Georgia’s New Materials Institute is one of 10 organizations to be highlighted over the coming year by Shaw Industries Group Inc., as part of the company’s new sustain[HUMAN]abilityTM recognition program.
“We are grateful to Shaw Industries for recognizing and highlighting our efforts in working with industry to design products with end-of-life in mind, that ultimately reduce waste and are safer for people, animals and our planet,” said Jason Locklin, director of the New Materials Institute.
Shaw’s program recognizes “diverse organizations intently focused on products and initiatives that support the wellbeing of people and the planet,” the company said in its press release. As part of the program, which launched in October, the New Materials Institute will be featured in a blog series posted on SustainableBrands.com. The blog posts will examine what drives the efforts of organizations like the New Materials Institute, the challenges these groups face, keys to success and what innovations are on the horizon.
Shaw Industries has partnered with the New Materials Institute to bring greater sustainability to their product line. The company also explores sustainability solutions with the Institute and its collaborators by being a member of the Industry Advisory Board for the National Science Foundation Industry & University Cooperative Research Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites, known as CB2. The New Materials Institute serves as a research site for CB2, along with Iowa State University, Washington State University, and North Dakota State University.
Locklin and Kellie Ballew, a director of sustainability for Shaw Industries, are scheduled to co-present a session titled, “Shaw Industries Presents: A World of Plastics: Designing Practical Solutions,” at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo.
Headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, Shaw is a global manufacturer of carpet, resilient flooring, hardwood, tile, stone, laminate, synthetic turf and other specialty items for residential and commercial markets worldwide. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway with nearly $6 billion in annual revenue.
The UGA New Materials Institute is committed to preventing waste through the design of materials and systems that adhere to Green Engineering principles. The Institute partners with industry and businesses to design materials for their use that are bio-based, fully biodegradable, or completely recyclable, and safe for people, animals and our planet. In addition, it works with businesses, governments, foundations and other organizations to redesign systems so that they generate less waste and promote circularity in materials management. The New Materials Institute is also shaping the future by training the next generation of scientists and engineers on the importance of considering Green Engineering design principles in everything they do. For more information, visit www.newmaterials.uga.edu.
Writer/contact: Kat Gilmore, kygilmor@uga.edu
The New Materials Institute, a component of the UGA Office of Research with roots in the College of Engineering, along with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, both units of UGA Public Service and Outreach, are among 24 finalists for the University Economic Development Association 2019 Awards of Excellence. UGA’s finalists are in different categories and will not compete with one another.
This marks the third year that three UGA programs have been selected as finalists for national awards recognizing innovation in economic development. UGA is the only university that has had three finalists for three consecutive years.
UEDA represents higher education, private sector and community economic development stakeholders across North America. Entries were judged by a panel of university and economic development professionals based on the alignment of their institution’s core mission activities with regional economic development goals.
Categories include innovation, talent and place, as well as the intersections of those three categories. Criteria for judging included originality, scalability, sustainability, impact and the feasibility of other organizations replicating the initiatives in their communities.
Programs selected as finalists are:
“I am pleased that UEDA recognizes the value in connecting translational research units like the New Materials Institute with a range of industry partners to spark new ideas and advances in areas of societal need,” said Vice President for Research David Lee. “We believe our approach with New Materials is replicable across a range of research areas and applications. It has tremendous advantages: for the university in supporting our research, for the partner industries in pushing their R&D forward, and for the public who will ultimately reap the benefits of these collaborations.”
Winners will be announced during the UEDA Annual Summit in Reno-Tahoe, Nevada, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 2019.
Story by Kelly Simmons and Michael Terrazas
The UGA New Materials Institute recently hosted the biannual Industry Advisory Board meeting for the National Science Foundation Industry & University Cooperative Research Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites, known as CB2. UGA joined the I/UCRC in 2018 and is one of four universities that serve as research sites.
At the meeting, researchers presented updates on CB2 research projects slated for completion in late 2019, and industry representatives presented seed concepts for the group to consider undertaking in 2020. Decisions on the new projects will be made at the fall board meeting.
The meeting included representatives from CB2’s industry partners, as well as principle investigators from the other CB2 research sites: Iowa State University, Washington State University, and North Dakota State University. The industry members guide selection of the research projects and mentor the research teams. As projects are completed, the industry members share in the intellectual property that is generated by the collective.
CB2’s current industry members come from more than 40 companies, including Archer Daniels Midland, Boehringer Ingelheim, Ford, Hundai, John Deere, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, and Sherwin Williams. All members are companies that seek ways to make their products more sustainable.
The meeting was coordinated with help from the Office of Research, and, held at the UGA Veterinary Education Center. Support was provided by the College of Engineering.
University of Georgia College of Engineering researcher Jenna Jambeck will help lead an international, all-female expedition team that will study plastic pollution in one of the world’s most iconic waterways — the Ganges River (known locally as Ganga and Padma).
The “Sea to Source: Ganges” river expedition, in partnership with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the University of Dhaka and WildTeam, is part of National Geographic’s journey to better understand and document how plastic waste travels from source to sea and to fill critical knowledge gaps around plastic flow, load and composition. The expedition will offer an unprecedented and unique opportunity to scientifically document plastic waste in a watershed and develop holistic and inclusive solutions.
“I am so excited to co-lead this expedition along with an amazing international team of incredible researchers in one of the most iconic rivers on the planet,” said Jambeck, a professor of environmental engineering who leads the New Material Institute’s Center for Circular Materials Management. Jambeck is also a National Geographic Fellow. “Working hand-in-hand with local communities, from the Bay of Bengal to the Himalayas, we will explore waste, plastic, its flow through and potential impact on this important ecosystem.”
Two of Jambeck’s graduate students are also members of the research team.
Jason Locklin, director of the UGA New Materials Institute, received the Excellence in Research Award from the UGA College of Engineering and was named a Distinguished Faculty Scholar by the college for his sustained excellence in scholarship. The awards were announced at the COE’s 2019 Celebration of Excellence, held April 2.
Other faculty from the New Materials Institute who were recognized at the event include Jenna Jambeck, Yajun Yan, Mark Eiteman, James Kastner, and Hitesh Handa. Click here to read a full report on the faculty and students who were recognized this year.
Also this week, Handa received the Fred C. Davison Early Career Scholar Award from the UGA Office of Research. His work focuses on developing new biocompatible coating materials for medical implant applications. To read more about his work, as well as about others who received awards from the Office of Research, click here.
Bromethalin, a common rat poison, is the agent responsible for a neurological disease that has sickened or killed birds from a popular flock of naturalized parrots that reside primarily in the Telegraph Hill area in north San Francisco, according to a new study led by the University of Georgia Infectious Diseases Laboratory and funded by Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue.
The study, published today in PLOS ONE, caps a multi-year effort to determine the cause of the disease, which has been observed in parrots from this flock since at least 1999.
“The investigation, inspired and funded by Mickaboo, required a team of veterinarians, pathologists and researchers. It is only because the poisoned birds were feral parrots that the condition was so thoroughly investigated,” said first author Fern Van Sant, whose clinic, For the Birds, in San Jose, California, provided care for many of the affected parrots. “The findings offer us an opportunity to assess the true risk of this rodenticide to pets and feral animals and to clarify the risk of potential soil and water contamination.”
The study focused on four parrots that presented in 2018 with a set of characteristic neurologic signs that attending veterinarians say most affected birds exhibit to varying degrees: ataxia, circling, seizures and tumbling. Three of these parrots, like many before them, were euthanized when their condition worsened and they could no longer self-feed.
The study team looked for bromethalin, or its active metabolite desmethyl-bromethalin, based on their findings in 15 historic cases from 2013 through 2017. The historic cases lacked evidence of viruses known to cause neurologic disease in parrots, as well as of exposure to lead or other toxins. But pathologists found consistent lesions in the central nervous system that suggested bromethalin poisoning.
Bromethalin is difficult to detect, especially in living animals, and particularly in free-ranging birds. Some assays have successfully detected bromethalin in fat tissue of animals, but birds typically do not have surplus fat from which samples can be drawn and tested. In their study, the UGA-led team screened fecal samples from live birds, as well as liver and brain samples from deceased parrots. Co-author Sayed M. Hassan, director of the UGA Laboratory for Environmental Analysis in the Center for Applied Isotope Studies, detected both bromethalin and desmethyl-bromethalin in brain, liver and fecal samples utilizing high-performance liquid chromatography.
The study’s findings suggest that parrots do not metabolize the potent neurotoxin in the same manner that has been described in other species, and/or that the parrots are ingesting a sublethal dose. The authors do not know how the parrots are being exposed to bromethalin, but they are planning a follow-up study to determine the source.
“We now need funding from individuals and groups interested in protecting our environment to help us understand if this toxin is accumulating in a space where it could pose a health risk in other free-ranging animals, or, possibly, in companion animals and people,” said co-author Branson W. Ritchie, a veterinary research professor and co-director of the Infectious Diseases Laboratory.
The birds primarily reside in neighborhoods near the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and frequent the area’s parks, but affected birds have been found throughout San Francisco, including on busy streets and downtown sidewalks. The total number of birds affected to date is difficult to estimate, but from 2003 through 2018, Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue had established records on 158 San Francisco parrots, of which 55 died, 53 were adopted, 22 were released including three that escaped, and 25 remain in foster care. Of the birds in foster care or adopted, many have persistent neurologic deficits, including paresis and ataxia, that require special care.
Members of the public who come in contact with a possibly affected parrot should immediately report the bird and its location to San Francisco Animal Care and Control, 415-554-9400; the poisoned birds need professional help and should not be handled or harmed. If necessary, a towel can be used to move the bird to a secure box or dog kennel.
“Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue is grateful to Dr. Van Sant, the University of Georgia, and all of the skilled professionals who have worked so hard and so long to find out what was killing these beautiful birds,” said Michelle Yesney, current CEO of Mickaboo. The parrots and their plight gained notoriety after being featured in a book and a documentary both titled “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill.”
Coauthors on the study included Drury Reavill, of the Zoo/Exotic Pathology Service, Carmichael, California; Elizabeth W. Howerth and Mauricio Seguel, of the Department of Pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine; Rita McManamon, Christopher R. Gregory, and Paula G. Ciembor, of the Infectious Diseases Laboratory in the College of Veterinary Medicine; Kathy M. Loftis, of the Center for Applied Isotope Studies; and Richard Bauer, a graduate student in the Laboratory for Environmental Analysis. “Evidence of bromethalin toxicosis in San Francisco ‘Telegraph Hill’ conures,” is available online at https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0213248